Patrol info for U-31
| Departure | Arrival / Fate | Duration | ||
| 16 Sep 1940 | Wilhelmshaven | 8 Oct 1940 | Lorient | 23 days |
Commander | Officers * |
 Wilfried Prellberg |
Daily positions, sinkings and allied attacks during the patrol of U-31
Legend
means a ship hit (sunk or damaged).
indicates an Allied attack on the boat.
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We have 22 daily positions for the 23 days U-31 was at sea.
Departure from Wilhelmshaven on 16 Sep 1940.
17 Sep 1940 - 18 Sep 1940 - 19 Sep 1940 - 20 Sep 1940 - 21 Sep 1940 - 22 Sep 1940 - 23 Sep 1940 - 24 Sep 1940 - 25 Sep 1940 - 26 Sep 1940 - 27 Sep 1940 - 28 Sep 1940 - 29 Sep 1940 - 30 Sep 1940 - 1 Oct 1940 - 2 Oct 1940 - 3 Oct 1940 - 4 Oct 1940 - 5 Oct 1940 - 6 Oct 1940 - 7 Oct 1940 -
Arrival at Lorient on 8 Oct 1940.
Ships hit by U-31 during this patrol
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 1940 | U-31 | Wilfried Prellberg |  | Union Jack | 81 |  | fa | |
| 27 Sep 1940 | U-31 | Wilfried Prellberg | Vestvard | 4,319 |  | nw | OB-218 | |
| 4,400 | ||||||||
2 ships sunk (4,400 tons). Legend | ||||||||
General Events during this patrol
1940
28 Sep 1940. An enemy submarine spotted by U-31. U-31 dived and heard a torpedo running which missed.
8 Oct 1940. U-31 was attacked by the British submarine Trident. First the submarine fired 4 torpedoes, all of which missed U-31. When the British sub began to fire its gun, U-31 crash dived. The Trident followed up with some explosive charges, but without result. This was the third time that U-31 was attacked by an enemy submarine during this patrol. The commander wrote sardonically in the war diary: "Main task of this patrol was to play the target ship for British submarines."
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Attacks on U-31 during this patrol
29 Sep 1940
An unknown enemy submarine fired two torpedoes at U-31. The boat escaped by the narrowest of margins.
About this data
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See all patrols for U-31
* These are officers that later became commanders themselves.
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